St Mary's Roman Catholic Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

An early 20th century stone-built church in a Romanesque style consisting of a nave, transepts, chancel with lower flanking side chapels, and a low gabled sacristy to the rear.

It stands facing the main road but set back from it within its own grounds reached by a broad driveway flanked at each side by grassed areas containing mature trees.

The main entrance faces south.

The south elevation is symmetrical and consists of a gabled nave projecting forward with the transepts extending to each side at the rear. The main gable, which is surmounted by a bellcote and flanked by buttresses, contains a central semi-circular arched doorway, flanked on each side by small semi-circular arched lancet windows, with a large circular rose window of cusped tracery above.
Walling is of rock faced snecked sandstone with ashlar sandstone relieving arches, rock faced granite quoins to extremities, and ashlar granite dressings to openings, kneelers and gable copings, and bellcote.

The main entrance contains a pair of original vertically boarded timber doors with scrolling decorative ironwork hinges recessed within a moulded semi-circular arch flanked by polished marble colonnettes with plain block capitals. Flanking windows have chamfered block surrounds and contain leaded glazing protected by later plate glass. The rose window is similarly glazed. The gabled bellcote contains a semi-circular opening hung with a bell, flanked by weatherings and surmounted by a simple wheel cross in ironwork.

The west elevation comprises a three-bay nave, a projecting transept which is buttressed at the gable and contains a three-light window, and a single-bay chancel with a lean-to roofed side chapel below. Walling is similar to the entrance front. Roofs are of Bangor blue slates in regular courses, with perforated fireclay ridge tiles. Rainwater goods are moulded cast iron gutters with circular cast iron downpipes. Windows are of similar form to the entrance front. The south wall of the transept contains a semi-circular arched doorway, with a tall lancet beside it, and a small rose window above it containing quatrefoil tracery. The north wall is blank, and the south gable is surmounted by a decoratively treated wheel cross in stone.

The north or rear elevation consists of a chancel gable identical to the transept gable, flanked on each side by low side chapels, slightly set back, and each containing a small rose widow with quatrefoil and circular tracery.

The east elevation is identical to the west except for the addition of a low gabled sacristy built in front of the side chapel. Its materials and detailing are similar to previous except for a doorway and two pairs of coupled rectangular windows which have chamfered square heads. A prominent chimney of oblong section in cut sandstone rises from the ridge. Within a simple iron railed enclosure along the north gable, steps lead down to a basement heating chamber.

SETTING:
The ground immediately around the church is laid with tarmac. Beyond that to the front and sides are grassed areas. To the rear stands a modern oratory in the course of construction, of similar materials and style to the church. To the west within the grounds stands the presbytery, which has rendered walls and a hipped roof. The front of the church is approached by a tarmac driveway through a gateway from the main road, and also by a pedestrian pathway, running obliquely from an adjacent car park, which is marked by a modern tubular steel handrail and posts.

Main gateway and front screen walling:
The main gateway comprises a set of wrought iron vehicular gates decoratively treated with scrolling motifs and surmounted by an ornamental cross finial, set between square piers of rock faced masonry in regular courses with tooled edges, projecting bases, and moulded cornice with blocking course, flanked each side by small pedestrian gates of similar design, and similar piers, from which extend curving screen walls of snecked sandstone with roughly squared granite crenellated copings which terminate in another pair of square piers at the roadside, beyond which extend to each side front boundary walls similar to the curving screens.

Historical information

Built in 1912 to the designs of W.H. Byrne & Son, architects of Dublin. They were one of the most prolific firms of ecclesiastical architects in Ireland in the late 19th to early 20th century period.

References – Secondary Sources
1. UAHS, Dungannon and Cookstown (Belfast, 1971), pp 54-55.
2. A.J. Rowan, The Buildings of Ireland: North-West Ulster (Harmondsworth, 1979), p 455.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance
X. Local Interest
V. Authorship

Evaluation

This is a good and intact example of an early 20th century church, carefully constructed of cut stonework, in a Romanesque style. It was designed by one of the leading ecclesiastical firms in Ireland, ‘W.H. Byrne & Son’ of Dublin, and is an interesting example of its type, of unusual plan form and spatial organisation, and displaying an appropriate degree of ornamental features to the interior which remains almost intact. It enjoys a pleasant setting within its own grounds and is of considerable local interest and social value.